Eco-chic

20th Anniversary Of Earth Day Draws Everyone Into The Act

Hollywood and television have rediscovered the environment, and this spring will see a shower of save-the-Earth specials, reaching a peak on April 22-the 20th anniversary of the first Earth Day.

The biggest bang is planned by ABC, which will air ``The Earth Day Special`` at 9 that night. Its star-heavy lineup includes Kevin Costner, Ted Danson, Jane Fonda, Michael Keaton, Bette Midler, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and Robin Williams.

A whole alphabet soup of networks is simmering for Earth Day and the following week: PBS, TBS, A&E, MTV, VH-1, CBS, NBC, ABC.

Mister Rogers and Mickey Mouse are getting hip to saving the planet.

``Mister Rogers` Neighborhood`` will devote the weeks before and after Earth Day to the impact of garbage, and ``The Mickey Mouse Club`` on the Disney Channel will have environmental theme shows the week after Earth Day.

Of course, there`s always the possibility that celebrities will ride the save-the-Earth bandwagon for a while, then go on to something else. Stopping drunken driving, world hunger (particularly starving children in Ethiopia), failing U.S. farms and illiteracy were some of the `80s issues that seemed to attract a great deal of celebrities before fading out of vogue.

``Farm Aid is an example of something that was the big thing, then kind of fizzled out,`` says Lori Birdsong, vice president of Celebrity Outreach Foundation, a Los Angeles nonprofit group that ``matches`` celebrities with charities.

Birdsong says the environment is one of the hottest issues-possibly the hottest issue-in which celebrities are interested.

``Nobody knew anything about the rain forests three years ago,`` she says. ``The public becomes aware, then the celebrities become aware. More people want to participate. There`s a domino effect.``

``We built the bandwagon that everyone is now jumping on,`` says Barbara Pyle, vice president of environmental policy for Ted Turner`s TBS. Pyle is also a passionate activist who has been making documentaries about the environment for 10 years.

``But hey, there`s room for everyone,`` she adds. ``Any increase is better than nothing. That`s what we had for 10 years, except for Turner Broadcasting.``

Although it may be eco-chic for some performers, it has been a long commitment for Turner`s TBS. The superstation has the best record on environmental programming, supporting series and specials by the Cousteau Society, the Audubon Society, National Geographic and the Better World Society (created in part by Turner).

This isn`t the first go-around for eco-chic.

``In the `60s and `70s, I was in this country, and the movement regarding environmental issues was beautiful and romantic,`` says Jean-Michel Cousteau, who, like his famous father, Jacques, produces TV nature documentaries.

Eco-chic isn`t limited to specials; CBS, NBC and ABC series will dive in too. To name just a few of the eco-plots this season: ``ALF`` has embarked on a letter-writing campaign against a polluting company; ``Hunter`` has gone after a company that illegally dumped toxic waste that killed a child; and

``thirtysomething`s`` Hope Steadman is trying to stop an incinerator planned for her neighborhood.

Nor will Earth Day be the end of eco-chic specials or series:

- September will mark the launch of ``Captain Planet and the Planeteers,`` Turner`s new syndicated cartoon series featuring the voices of Tom Cruise as the hero, Whoopi Goldberg as Gaia (or Mother Earth), and Ed Asner and Richard Gere as polluting villains.

- The producers of Live Aid are planning a similar, though shorter, effort on June 2 called Earth `90. Thus far, the only musicians who have signed up are co-hosts John Denver and Olivia Newton-John. But producer Hal Uplinger, whose track record is impressive, can probably corral some big names. Concerts in Japan, the United States, Brazil and the Soviet Union will be beamed to more than 100 countries.

- PBS will begin ``Race to Save the Planet,`` an ambitious 10-part series, in October as the centerpiece of its fall season.

- ``The Blue Revolution.`` Currently airing at 8 p.m. Sundays on the Discovery Channel through April 22. An international coproduction looks at how to preserve the oceans.

- ``Nova: Hot Enough for You?`` April 17 on PBS. Documentary about the summer of 1988 and the greenhouse effect.

- ``Earth Day Weekend.`` April 20 through 22 on VH-1. The music channel will have specials and interviews with Christie Brinkley, Stevie Wonder, David Byrne, Susan Sarandon and others.